Course overview
Epidemiology is used to describe health and disease, to understand determinants and to support evidence-based policy and practice. In this course you will consider the concepts, measures and data used in epidemiology to describe the magnitude of health issues. You will also focus on different research designs, including randomised controlled trials and the systematic review process to identify causes of disease and determine if treatments are effective. By examining real-world situations, you will explore challenges to feasibility and interpretation, and how the weight of evidence from epidemiology and other disciplines is drawn together. The role of epidemiology in improving population health will be a theme throughout.
- Descriptive Epidemiology
- Observational Studies
- Experimental Studies
Course learning outcomes
- Define epidemiology and know the different roles it has in preventing disease, promoting health and supporting evidence-based health care.
- Identify data sources about the health and disease of populations, calculate measures of disease frequency, and recognise depictions in terms of person, place and time.
- Know the main study designs used in analytic epidemiology, interpret results and outline bias and confounding.
- Recognise the need to consider the weight of evidence when judging real-world causes of health and disease and know criteria for causation
- Know the principles of randomised controlled trials, the purpose of systematic reviews, and interpret results of each of these types of research.
Degree list
The following degrees include this course